Electrical fixture



June' 9, 1925. 1,541,362

' A. R. LocKE ELECTRICAL FIXTURE Filed Nov. 28. 1919A 1 Mmmm: WMHIMU vPatented June 9, 1925.

@NE'ED y .QTTES ALBERT R. LOCKE, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL FIXTURE.

Application filed November 28, 1919.

To all whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT R. Looiin, a citizen oli the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ci Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Electrical Fixtures, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to electrical fixtures.

More particularly it relates to receptacles for Iplug connectors and lamps.

It is often necessary to mount plug receptacles in walls or other places where it is diticult or impossible to gain access to the back of the wall to secure the receptacle in place.

It is also undesirable, in many instances, to secure the receptacle to the face of the wall where mounting screws, bolts, wide flanges, etc. will be unsightly and: destroy or detract from the decorative eli'ect. TWhere the walls are made of more or less lcrumbly material, such for example, as terra cotta, mounting screws threaded into the material cannot be depended upon.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a receptacle which overcomes the foregoing dii'li'culties.

Another object is to provide a receptacle which may be readily mounted in the wall, from the front, without use of fastening devices visible from the front.

Another obj ect is to provide a receptacle which is securely clamped between the front and back of the wall.

Another object is to provide a receptacle which may be secured in p-lace by manipulation of a single screw.

Another object is to provide a receptacle which is simple, eihcient, reliable and easily manufactured and installed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification and claim.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is an enlarged vertical section of the receptacle.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top elevation.

Fig. 4: is a perspective of one of the anchoring dogs, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the yoke for carrying` the dogs.

The receptacle is shown mounted in the Serial No. 341,280.

other wall materials are not easily tapped for the recept-.ion of mounting screws and even when tapped do not provide strong' or durable threads.

The receptacle has a cylindrical cup shaped shell 5 made of suitable insulating material, such as porcelain. The shell has a bottom 6 and a small annular flange 7 at its forward enid to overlie the edge of the opening in the wall. 1V ithin the shell is an outer terminal 8 which may be of the usual threaded type used with ordinary plug connectors or incandescent lamps. There is also an inner terminal 9. Terminals 8 and 9 may be secured to the bottom of the rereceptacle shell in any approved manner, such for example, as screws threading into the procelain. nails are connected to binding posts 10 and 11 to which the conducting wires may be connected.

Inner terminaly 9 is provided with an opening 15 for the passage of clamping screw 16, by means of which the receptacle is securely7 clamped in position. At the back of the receptacle, screwA 16 carries a yoke 17, thru which the screw is threaded. Consequently if yoke 17 is held against r tation and screw 16 is turned, the yoke will approach or recede from the shell and wall, depending upon the direction of rotation. On opposite sides of the central threaded opening, thru which screw 16 passes, yoke 17 is provided with a pair of rectangular openings 18, thru which extend a pair of clamping or anchoring dogs 19. The outer edge of each dog has a notchV 20 therein and the inner edge has a notch 21. These notches in the dogs cooperating with the openings in the yoke pivotally support the dogs to the yoke.

The Jfront ends of the dogs may be moved inwardly to the position shown by the dot- The inner and outer termited lines of Fig. 1, when the receptacle is being inserted in the opening in the wall from the fronts and to the position shown by the full lines of Figs. 1 and 2, to engage the rear of the wall to clamp the receptacle in place. To bias the dogs so that they tend to assume positions such that their front ends engage the wall, a resilient tie, such as a rubber band 22, is passed around the rear ends of the dogs. Notches 23 in the rear ends of the dogs serve to position the bands. The outward position of the forward ends of the dog is limited by the edges of notches 2O and 21 engaging, respectively, the front and rear surfaces of yoke 17. The forward portion of each dog is provided with a projection 25 which lies within a slot or groove 26 in shell 5 to prevent yoke 17 from rotating.

To ilistall the receptacle, the clampingI screw 16 is threaded thru yoke 17 until the distance between the front ends of the dogs and the rear surface of flange 7 is greater than thethickness of the wall. The receptacle is then inserted into the opening` in the wall. The rubber band yieldingly tends to hold the forward ends of the dogs outwardly, but the tops of the dogs engaging the edge of the opening in the wall, as the receptacle is being inserted, presses their outer ends inward so that the receptacle may be readily positioned, When the dogs pass beyond the wall the rubber band automatically forces the rear ends of the dogs together, separating their front ends. The clamping screw 16 is now rotated by a screw driver inserted from the front thru the opening in terminal 9 to force the yoke 17 forward. Yoke 17 carries forward dogs 19 causing the front ends thereof to firmly wedge against theiback of the wall. The edges of notches 20 and 21 in the dogs forni solid abutments for the yoke to prevent its slipping along the dogs. Thus the wall is firmly clamped betweenfiange 7 and dogs 19 and the receptacle 4is rigidly and securely anchored in position. A gasket or washer 27 of rubber or other suitable cushioning material may be interposed between flange 27 and the wall.

The back of the receptacle may project into a junction into which may extend conduits for carrying the conducting wires. Junction box 30 may be held in position by any suitable means.

The receptacle may be readily placedin position from the front, theYY only tool required being a screw driver. No unsightly or objectionable fasteners are visible from the front. The clamping dogs are automatically drawn together when the receptacle is being inserted and automatically spread when the receptacle is seated. Rubber bands may be advantageously used to spread the dogs because they are cheap and when the receptacle is secured in place, the bands perform no further function and their deterioration is of no consequence. rllhe dogs and yoke may be made of stamped metal, so that the structure is inexpensive to manufacture.

Having described my invention, what I claim is Y A device of the character described com-- prising a relatively thick apertured wall; a cup-shape plug having an annular flange at one end for contact with the face of the wall, the other end inserted in said aperture; a screw extending thru the bottom of the plug beyond the wall; a threaded yoke supported on the screw and having apertures at each end; a pair 0f dogs removable from the plug and pivoted in said apertures; :1 spring yieldingly holding inner ends of the dogs to extend their outer ends, said dogs each having two shoulders engaging the yoke to prevent their outer ends spreading apart too far and a shoulder to take the thrust of the yoke.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT R. LOCKE. l 

